Guernsey Electricity looking to replace faulty undersea cable

This followed investigations in the wake of two faults, the first or which occurred in October last year and saw an island-wide power cut.

Since then, the island has been reliant on energy from the power station for two thirds of its electricity.

GE chief executive Alan Bates said the utility had always intended to replace the cable, known as GJ1, by 2030, and this decision means only that the work will be brought forward: 'This is not a change of strategy but is a change of the investment timing,' he said.

GE's long-term plan is to connect the island directly to France, and Mr Bates said that the States of Guernsey’s revised energy policy and environmental aspirations, which are due to be published this year, will be pivotal to setting the direction for these investment decisions.

It is working with the Channel Islands Competition and Regulatory Authorities (Cicra) to recover historic operating costs and adjust tariffs to reflect changes in future costs, particularly for the replacement of cables.

GE pointed out that tariffs have not been adjusted since October 2012, and the underlying costs have increased during this period.

‘We want to be open with our customers,' said Mr Bates. 'We hope that they understand that the cost of providing electricity has increased, and this cost will need to be passed on to those that use electricity today, rather than future customers.'